G.J. Kinne: 6 Biggest Strengths and Weaknesses of 2012 NFL Draft Prospect

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G.J. Kinne had a very solid career leading the Tulsa Golden Hurricane as their quarterback. As a three-year starter, he won 23 games, while throwing for more than 9,000 career yards and 81 touchdowns.

Kinne was a successful collegiate quarterback, but will his success continue at the next level? In the following slides, the strengths and weaknesses of his game are broken down, as they pertain to his going forward as an NFL prospect.

Strength: Mechanics

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Kinne is a mechanically sound pocket passer.

Kinne has good balance in the pocket and stands upright. He has a fluid throwing motion, along with a quick, sharp release.

Kinne occasionally has problems with wobbling passes, but his throws are usually strong spirals. His mechanics will translate over perfectly fine to the next level.

Weakness: Accuracy

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Kinne is very inconsistent with his accuracy, which is a major concern for him. He only completed 63.1 percent of his passes last season, which is not a particularly impressive number especially considering he played in a spread offense with mostly short-to-intermediate throws.

Kinne actually threw for better than 70 percent in four games last season. However, he also had six games with a completion percentage of less than 60.

Kinne has too many lapses where he misses on short, easy throws. Kinne cannot afford to make mistakes like that at the next level.

Strength: Athleticism

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Kinne was a dual-threat quarterback for Tulsa. Over three seasons, he ran for a total of 1,365 yards.

Kinne does not have the speed to be a running threat at the next level, but his athleticism will definitely help him. Kinne has good pocket presence, and is very capable of scrambling to elude defenders when necessary.

Kinne will not be known for his ability to run or to throw on the run, but he is a good athlete who will use those traits well if he ever starts at the next level.

Weakness: Decision-Making

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Some of Kinne’s inaccuracy is a result of poor decision-making. When Kinne has to make a second read, he often makes a bad choice and tries to throw into tight or double coverage.

Kinne is an intelligent young quarterback who leads his team well, but his poor decisions come under pressure. As he goes up against NFL defenses that will bring tougher pressure and make reads tougher on him, he is going to have to get better at making the right decisions under pressure.

Strength/Weakness: Throw Velocity

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Kinne’s strong mechanics give him the ability to put very good velocity behind his throws. This velocity is a strong trait, but it also gets him into trouble.

Kinne throws a solid deep ball, and he can use his ability to put velocity on the football to make tough throws when needed.

On the flip side, Kinne often puts too much velocity on short, easy passes. This causes him to overthrow his receivers or give them balls that are more difficult to catch than they should be.

Kinne’s throwing velocity is a strength, but he must learn to manage it better.

Weakness: System

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Kinne played in a spread offense at Tulsa, where most of his throws were short passes. Kinne has not had significant experience working with receivers running the NFL route tree, and he will have to learn how to make NFL throws.

Kinne does not have experience in a pro-style offense, and given his accuracy troubles, adjusting to making more downfield and precise throws could be an issue for him.

Overall Breakdown

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Kinne was a solid collegiate quarterback, but he is not much of an NFL prospect. While he is a mechanically sound pocket passer who can throw the ball well, his problems with accuracy and making decisions under pressure are significant issues.

Kinne’s arm strength is only average at best, and he is short for the quarterback position at only 6’1’’. There are some aspects to like about Kinne’s game, and he deserves a shot to try to make a roster in training camp as a third-string quarterback. That said, he is on the outside looking in when it comes to being among the 253 players drafted on Thursday.

Kinne’s Grade: Seventh round to undrafted

Positional Rank: No. 13

Overall Rank: No. 275